Hello to Family

Hi to everyone in Poland, Thailand, Seattle and elsewhere. I hope you are all doing well. It's raining here, but I like it. Cool and beautiful. We have successfully survived a very fun wedding and family get-together. Thanks everyone for all of the good memories and the effort you made to come. We also helped quite a bit with Bre's wedding. I really enjoyed it. We picked up the flowers and passed them out and I ended up decorating the cake with JoAnne's help. (Isn't it lovely?) Bre and Obed are living in Sugarhouse . I think they might be very happy. During all of this Norris Carter, our neighbor, passed away. I have the assignment in the ward to coordinate the funerals. They had over one hundred people for a funeral supper! We are sad to lose our friend and neighbor. Lorana is very sad, but she keeps going. They were married for 18 years. In the meantime Laurel was taken to Primary Children's Hospital after having a febrile seizure. She was examined and sent home. She's okay now, but I promise you, it's traumatic. She will outgrow the tendency to have them. Anyway. It's been busy! Dad is very busy at work. He came home Monday and said that he realized that he works with idiots. Then Tuesday he came home and said it was a good day. Some days are just harder than others. They are so busy and under such pressure! But it's so good to have a big project to do. Half his company (Promontory) has little or no work to do.

I was asked to work with the Beehives in our ward (the 12-13 year old girls.) I already know them from girls' sports. I can't think of anything funner to do in the church. They are an unusual bunch. Most of them live in the apartment building and have a variety of disadvantages, but they are good girls and so honest. It's a delight to hear their stories and opinions. I also have to go to GIRLS CAMP the week we also leave for Washington. Some of you have probably caught on to how much I like to camp. I was pretty down for a day. Then I bucked up and realized that I don't need that much sleep and that it will be fun. I have to learn to set up a tent. Hope I can do that. We have a COOK at girls' camp. This is not Boy Scouts.

Anyway. Travis is leaving for Germany on the 6th of June. He will be gone until Christmas. Hopefully he and Agata will fly here before they go to Seattle. I'm hoping. I just saw Travis at the wedding and can't imagine him being gone for so long. He actually flies on Icelandic Air to Iceland (for about an hour) then to Europe to meet Agata, and to Germany, all of that in some order. He will end up in Poland in the Fall to work on his research. Where will they live in Poland? That is the mystery.

Tommy and Rilee had friends over for dinner on Sunday. Good thing. I made a terrible bean soup. It truly was a lousy dinner here. I am only going to barbecue delicious things the rest of the summer. Their apartment is beautiful. What do I like most? Their dining table and chairs? Their red and black study? Their fluffy white comforter and new Ikea bed? It truly is lovely. I don't really know what else they are doing. Running, working, helping Rilee's Dad. Her Dad, Berk, developed a serious infection in his arm from scraping it in a fall while refereeing a basketball game. A little scratch turned very bad. I hope he is feeling better.

Alex is unbelievably busy in Chiang Mai. He lives downtown and Brynna lives in the country with a BYU roommate. Her new internship sounds good to me. She works with women and children in a small charity. The women need shelter from abuse and a place to get back on their feet after being kicked out of their families due to pregnancies, etc. They also have a little farm. I think she will be helping there and teaching English. Alex plans an excursion each weekend. He gets to see Brynna along with 21 friends. I think they love it there, though. The political news is pretty interesting, but no longer as volatile.

Danny is running in the Rock and Roll Marathon. We hope to be there for it. Jenni is running in the half marathon. I think they will be running in barefoot shoes. Dad is running in his water socks lately. He loves it. I think he's up to three miles. I'm trying to understand Chi Walking. I hope it develops into Chi Running. We'll see. If I ran a mile three times a week I would be very impressed.

Tyler and Dawn miss you all. They have had a lot of trauma with the fever and hospital and a check on Lilah's growth with specialists (she passed with flying colors). Dawn wishes we were closer all of the time. I think they need new friends. Their girls are a handful but a delight. Lilah laughs and plays and crawls. She is so fun. Laurel explores and wants to read whole books now. She loves to be outside.

Dad will mow the lawn tonight. We fertilized it before all of the rain (and snow). It's about a foot high.

Papa Herb has surgery this week for carpal tunnel. Hope it goes well.

Love, Mom